Ratio round-up: Ticats, Redblacks, Als

The Ratio Round-Up is a three-part series looking at the way in which each of the CFL’s nine teams will approach the ratio in 2017. Click here for part one of the series (Lions, Esks, Stamps) and here for part two (Riders, Bombers, Argos).

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The Ticats approached the ratio with uniformity a season ago, starting national players in the same seven spots barring injury.

2016 Ratio Structure

Position

Starter

Primary Back-Up

Wide Receiver

Spencer Watt

Mike Jones

Slotback

Andy Fantuz

Giovanni Aprile

Left Guard

Peter Dyakowski

Brandon Revenberg

Centre

Mike Filer

Mattieu Girard

Right Guard

Ryan Bomben

Brandon Revenberg

Defensive Tackle

Ted Laurent

Michael Atkinson

Safety

Courtney Stephen

Mike Daly

Hamilton will look to make one ratio change in 2017 following the departure of Andy Fantuz. Fantuz, who may yet rejoin the Ticats after becoming a free agent last month, will be rehabbing a torn ACL well into the regular season.

2017 Ratio Projection

Position

Starter

Prospective Back-Up(s)

Wide Receiver

Spencer Watt

Mike Jones, Giovanni Aprile, Matt Uren

Left Guard

Brandon Revenberg

Landon Rice

Centre

Mike Filer

Mattieu Girard

Right Guard

Ryan Bomben

Everton Williams

Defensive Tackle

Ted Laurent

Michael Atkinson, Evan Gill

Cornerback

Courtney Stephen

Elroy Douglas

Safety

Craig Butler

Mike Daly, Jay Langa, Tyler Storie

Hamilton’s best option to maintain seven starting nationals is by playing two in the secondary, something the club did frequently prior to the knee injury that forced Craig Butler to miss the entire 2016 campaign. Courtney Stephen is a serviceable strong-side cornerback and starting alongside Emanuel Davis or Abdul Kanneh should aid in his adjustment from safety to corner.

The Ticats’ greatest strength with the ratio is the club’s flexibility. Hamilton started four players along the offensive line at times last season when rookie Brandon Revenberg kicked out to right tackle, while Ted Laurent and Michael Atkinson teamed up to create an all-Canadian interior defensive line for a stretch as well. Justin Capicciotti, acquired from the Riders late last season, is also a legitimate starting pass rusher should the club be forced to sit John Chick or Adrian Tracy.

Look for the Ticats to target an offensive lineman or defensive back in May’s CFL draft.

Ottawa Redblacks

The Redblacks were the CFL’s only club to consistently start eight Canadians all last season. Starting eight nationals — one more than the required seven — is a major advantage for CFL clubs as it allows them to replace a Canadian starter with an American should an injury occur in-game.

2016 Ratio Structure

Position

Starter

Primary Back-Up

Slotback

Brad Sinopoli

Scott MacDonell

Left Guard

J’Michael Deane

Matt Albright

Centre

Jon Gott

Alex Mateas

Right Guard

Nolan MacMillan

Alex Mateas

Right Tackle

Jason Lauzon-Seguin

Matt Albright

Defensive End

Connor Williams

Arnaud Gascon-Nadon

Defensive Tackle

Zack Evans

Ettore Lattanzio

Safety

Antoine Pruneau

Dan West

J’Michael Deane departed for Toronto via free agency, opening the door for 2015 first overall selection Alex Mateas to enter the starting line-up at left guard.

2017 Ratio Projection

Position

Starter

Prospective Back-Up(s)

Slotback

Brad Sinopoli

Scott MacDonell, Jake Harty, Riley Wilson, Jamal Kett

Left Guard

Alex Mateas

Kadeem Adams

Centre

Jon Gott

Matt Albright

Right Guard

Nolan MacMillan

Kyle Fraser-Audit

Right Tackle

Jason Lauzon-Seguin

Randy Beardy

Defensive End

Connor Williams

Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, Andrew Marshall

Defensive Tackle

Zack Evans

Ettore Lattanzio

Safety

Antoine Pruneau

Dan West, Adam Berger, Jean-Philippe Bolduc, Mikael Charland

Featuring solid starters across the board, Ottawa’s national talent is arguably the CFL’s best. Brad Sinopoli is probably the CFL’s best Canadian receiver, while Connor Williams’ ability to play any of the four positions along the defensive line is a huge asset. Jason Lauzon-Seguin also provides nice versatility in his ability to play both guard and tackle.

The Redblacks lack depth along the offensive line, but being able to replace a Canadian starter with an American lessens the immediate need for hog help. The addition of Adam Berger in free agency was a sneaky-good move, giving the club an experienced back-up national safety.

Montreal Alouettes

The Alouettes were one of two CFL teams to feature an all-Canadian offensive line a season ago, a long-standing tradition of Montreal football.

2016 Ratio Structure

Position

Starter

Primary Back-Up

Wide Receiver

Samuel Giguere

Alex Charette

Left Tackle

Jacob Ruby

Ryan White

Left Guard

Philip Blake

Jake Piotrowski

Centre

Kristian Matte

Luc Brodeur-Jordain

Right Guard

Philippe Gagnon

Jake Piotrowski

Right Tackle

Jeff Perrett

Ryan White

Safety

Marc-Olivier Broulliette

Dominique Termansen

Montreal’s new general manager, long-time CFL assistant/head coach Kavis Reed, quickly did away with the Alouettes’ all-Canadian offensive line. Reed has quickly put his stamp on Montreal’s roster, revamping his Canadian content to a greater extent than any other CFL club this off-season.

2017 Ratio Projection

Position

Starter

Prospective Back-Up(s)

Wide Receiver

Samuel Giguere

Alex Charette, Kyle Graves, Seydou Junior Haidara

Left Guard

Philip Blake

Jacob Ruby

Centre

Kristian Matte

Luc Brodeur-Jordain

Right Guard

Philippe Gagnon

Jake Piotrowski

Nose Tackle

Keith Shologan

Don Oramasionwu, Ray Drew

Defensive End

Jabar Westerman

Michael Klassen, Jesse Joseph

Interior Linebacker

Nicolas Boulay

Frederic Plesius, Christopher Johnson

Montreal is expected to compensate for the decision to start just three Canadian offensive linemen by playing two nationals along the defensive line. Jabar Westerman, Keith Shologan, and Don Oramasionwu were added in free agency, two of whom should start. Expect Shologan to start at nose tackle with Westerman at defensive end. Westerman had the least-productive season with the Lions at defensive end in 2015, but playing in Noel Thorpe’s 3-4 defensive scheme should suit his 6’2, 280 pound frame.

Starting Westerman and Shologan along the defensive line would mean a change of scenery for John Bowman or Gabriel Knapton. Some NFL pass rushers — including Dwight Freeney, John Abraham, and Robert Mathis — have extended their careers by becoming outside linebackers in 3-4 schemes. Could Bowman, now 34, do the same?

The Als also lost veteran safety Marc-Olivier Broulliette to Saskatchewan in free agency, replacing him with international Ryan Phillips. Expect Montreal to make up the difference by starting a Canadian in their linebacking corps, replacing international Winston Venable who signed with Toronto. Special teams dynamo Nicolas Boulay and Frederic Plesius — acquired via trade with Hamilton — should duel for the starting job in training camp.

8 Comments on Ratio round-up: Ticats, Redblacks, Als

Agree – great series. I should mention Reed had previously publicly commented that the Als would be going away from the 3-4 defence this year to the more traditional 4 down linemen. We will see if that happens. That would also allow Westerman to play inside where he is more comfortable &, dare I say, effective. It also allows both Bowman & Knapton to be on the field @ the same time. Keep in mind with Venable gone, they now have Woods, Cox & Hebert left @ LB with the latter 2 turning 34 & 37 during the season. They’ve got some old-timers there so the 4-3 might suit them better.

That being said with a 4-3 defence, the Montreal starting LB core cannot consist of Woods, Cox, and Hebert for ratio purposes unless the teams changes their minds and starts one Canadian tackle on offence.

I’m surprised Reed did not shore up his Canadian receiver depth during free agency I guess he wants to go all import there. If you compare Ottawa, (Sinopoli, Macdonell & Harty) to the Als (Giguère, Charette, Graves and Haidara) that is some drop off. While Sam Giguère is a solid performer Brad Sinopoli is for sure the best Canadian receiver in the league. Behind him Macdonell and Harty, both steady proven special teamers, probably start on some other teams whereas Charette and Graves in Montreal remain largely untested and Haidara, with Ottawa last year and eventually released, wasn’t going to replace anyone already on Ottawa’s roster. Montreal better pray Giguère stays healthy. Then there’s the Ticats without Fantuz and only Spencer Watt as a legit starter it seems.

Alouettes have lots of options. If Luc Brodeur-Jourdain can come back 100% healed up, that would add lots of flexibility on the ratio. Alouettes could then go with 4 O linesmen (Matte, Brodeur-Jourdain, Gagnon and Blake). I doubt we’ll see as much 3-4 D than we’ve seen in the first 12 games of 2016. In his 2nd week as interim HC, Chapdelaine said he asked Thorpe to balance better his D with his 3-4 and 4-3 schèmes, which meant more 4-3. And it worked quite well for the last 4 games. So the Alouettes could fill with 2 D linesmen. The unknown card is the possibility to play Dominique Termansen as DB. He did well in a promising load of young DBs last season. Termansen could win a job, but the problem would be backing him. Kwame Adjei could have a shot at that better than Maïko Zepeda. This is unlikely as the schemes rather looks like 4 OL, 2DL, and 1 WR. I doubt the Alouettes won’t start any of Hebert, Woods and Cox.

Now, I can’t see Michael Klassen playing DE. He’s not fast enough for that job. He’ll back Shologan or Oramsionwu inside.

Courtney Stephen will be returning to his CB position after spending last season at safety because of Butler’s absence. It isn’t a new position for him as seems to be implied – he played there very well in 2015. I’m also wondering if the Ticats might decide to start 2 nationals along the DL since they allowed Nevis to leave in fee agency and have not looked to replace him with any experienced player to date. Of course they may have another plan in place for filling the vacant spot on the DL.